Research Project
Requirements: A Recent E-Commerce Threat
Overview
In this project, you will research a recent threat (discovered within the last 12 months) to the security of an e-commerce operation. You will define and describe the threat including its discovery, history, impact on e-commerce operations, technical features, and risk.
Later in the term, in Research Project 2, you will consider and recommend security controls to mitigate the risk involved.
IMPORTANT: Please remember that this threat must be related to e-commerce, which, with very few exceptions, is now a web-based operation.
Project Procedures
Research: You are expected to use credible sources upon which to base your report. In cases when the source is necessary, but credibility is not assured, you must address this issue in the text of your paper.
You are required to use APA style for both in-text citations and the Reference section at the end of your paper. You can learn more about APA-style references by clicking the APA tutorial link near the bottom of the Syllabus. You must use a minimum of four sources.
Originality: Although you will be using outside sources for this project--and using citations to indicate where ideas have come from within the sources--all writing must be in your own words. No direct quotations of outside sources are allowed.
Required Elements
Cover page
Table of contents
Presentation of the threat including how the threat was identified, the technical features that characterize the threat, how it works, vulnerabilities it exploits, and so forth
Diagram depicting the mechanism of attack and exploitation
Potential or actual consequences including damage to hardware, software, data, personnel, financial losses, and so forth: You should identify the nature of the security compromise (i.e., data confidentiality, integrity, availability).
Risk assessment based on the concepts presented in the Week 3 Lecture
Deliverables: The minimum length of the paper--not counting the cover page, table of contents, and references--is four double-spaced pages.
The maximum length is six pages. Do not submit papers that have less or more pages than specified here.